Half a Dozen Roses
by YamiYugiCandy
Summary: --Yuugi spent a week saving up his money, and he gave it away in one day-- HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!


HAPPY VALINTINES DAY!! HA HA HA!! I posted this right at mid-night! XD I wanted to get it up, because I'm going to be very busy in the next coming week. ^-^ So please enjoy this fantabulous Valentines day one-shot! I'm really proud of myself on this one!

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! *rolls eyes* Why do I have to tell you people this? Stupid disclaimer rules...I think everyone is smart enough to know that I don't own it! XD

* * *

Yuugi hummed a small tune to himself as he walked down the crowded sidewalk. Today was going to be a good day, he could really tell. The sun was shining brightly in the middle of the sky, the birds were chirping their high-pitched songs...the whole city of Domino seemed to just radiate an aura of joy. He also had a good reason to be happy--and nervous. At the end of January, he had decided that he would tell Yami how he felt on Valentines day. His sexy—yes, I said _sexy_—alter ego used to be all Yuugi wanted to be, but then he had realized something important.

He didn't want to be Yami…he wanted to be _with_ him.

Whether Yami felt the same was a whole different story though…

Yuugi shook his head quickly and mentally scolded himself. He wasn't going to let those negative thoughts invade his positive mood. He and Yami...they were _partners_—and nothing would ever break that apart, not even if Yami didn't like him. They had been through too much to not stay friends. They were always together. Sure, Yuugi would be heart-broken if Yami didn't feel the same, but Yuugi wasn't going to let that keep them from being together.

Yuugi had first started liking--_really_ liking--Yami after Bakura and Ryou had started dating. Ryou had said that they were so opposite, that it was a perfect balance, and that he and Bakura couldn't be happier. Yuugi thought, if Ryou could find love in Bakura, what if he and Yami…? They were two parts of one, just like Ryou and Bakura--so why _wouldn't_ it work out?

That's how it all started. All the blushing, all the stuttering, and all the awkwardness between Yami and Yuugi.

_Well, no more!_ Yuugi thought as he looked at the sky, fully determined. He would tell Yami his feelings today, and nothing was going to stop him. He had spent a week saving up all his money, and today he would do something that, a year ago, he would've thought impossible.

Yuugi stopped in front of the flower shop and noted with faint surprise that they weren't, at that time, ridiculously busy. Immediately panicking, he took in a breath and looked into the windows carefully, then let it out when he saw that they weren't out of flowers. He walked inside and up to the counter. A a frail old lady looked at him through her squinty, wrinkled eyes.

"How can I help you, honey?" She asked, her voice as brittle as her.

"I wanted to buy a dozen roses," He replied, placing all his money on the counter. She smiled at him, counting the bills, then cast a worried look to him. "I'm afraid this isn't enough for a dozen…"

"Oh, no!" Yuugi bit his lip. He was so sure that the prices would've stay the same, but they had risen them since last time he'd looked.

"It's okay, dear," The lady replied kindly, giving his hand a gentle pat. "I can give you six roses for what you have—will that be enough?"

"It'll have to be," Yuugi told her; he would take what he could. The lady walked behind her and picked out the best six red roses and wrapped them up. She handed them over the counter and Yuugi pushed the money towards her, smelling the flowers and smiling.

"So, you must have someone you really love," She said suddenly as she rang everything up.

"Yeah," Yuugi grinned, and he couldn't stop talking. "But I'm not sure if he likes me, you know? I mean, I just wanted to tell him today, that way he knows. I'm happy, but pretty nervous, too. I don't know if he'll return my feelings, and I can't help but wonder what will happen if he doesn't…"

"What's he like?" She asked, grabbing a stool so she could sit down.

"Well, for one, he extremely confident, and competitive," Yuugi confided, turning a slight shade of pink. "Which can get annoying sometimes..."

"But you like it, right?" She guess with a grin.

"Yeah," Yuugi smiled back. "And he's so good at _everything_—from card games, to cooking, to working at the game shop—I don't think it's possible for him to be bad at anything. And, god, he's so kind. When girls try to throw themselves on him, you can tell he hates it--you can see it!--but he still tries to be as cordial as possible, and politely tell them to step back--even though I can tell he wants to yell at them to leave him alone. Oh, here's something else! He never—never, never, _never_—puts me down. Every time I say something negative about myself, he just responds with the positives. At first, that was annoying, too, because I thought, 'If I want to be unhappy, let me be unhappy.' but now I kinda of depend on his upbeat and playful nature." he took a deep breath. "I could talk all day about him, but what it all comes down to is...I think he is the most wonderful thing to ever have happened to me."

"That sounds so nice," The lady said, smiling. "You lucky boy. I remember when I first met my ex-husband…"

"Ex?" Yuugi asked.

"Oh, yes, he died some ten yeas ago."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," and Yuugi meant it. This poor woman.

"What?" She blinked and laughed. "Oh, no! Don't worry about it. I killed him."

"You what?"

"Yeah, pushed him into a wood chipper. Told the cops that it was an accident."

He blinked and clutched the roses tighter.  
"Wha…?"

She laughed again.  
"Now, wait a minute, don't go thinking I'm a psycho!" She sighed and looked down at her folded hands. "He used to beat me. Every day. I finally decided that I had had enough, and I was going to leave him. He found out...he was so furious...I begged him not to--well, this turned into that, and I had no other choice but to defend myself."

"Oh, well…good for you," He managed to say.

"But, getting back on the subject," She waved her hand and replaced her haunted, sad look with a smile. "You better go before those roses die."

"Oh, you're right!" He gave her a sheepish smile.

"Good luck!" She called after him as he walked away. "I'm sure you'll be just fine!"

"Thank you!" Yuugi called back, and he started walking down the sidewalk, holding the roses to his chest like a life line.

Yuugi got as far as maybe two blocks before he suddenly stopped. He could hear loud sobs and sniffs coming from somewhere, and he peeked down a narrow alleyway. There, sitting by a dumpster with her knees pulled to her chest, was a girl—maybe fourteen, at the most. He bit his lip, and after a second, he carefully walked towards her, unable to just ignore the poor girl.

"Hey, there," Yuugi said softly. She quickly looked up and gasped.

"H-hey!" She scrambled to her feet and pushed her blonde bangs out of her blue eyes. "I have m-mace! D-don't come any closer!!" Yuugi quickly took a cautious step backwards and offered her a small smile.

"I'm not here to rape you or anything, I swear," Yuugi said, holding up his hands. She looked at him, debating, and then she sighed out in relief, letting herself sink back down to the ground.

"Yeah, you don't look like a pervert."

"Uh...thanks."

"What do you want, then?" She demanded.

"Nothing," Yuugi sat in front of her and studied her red face. "I just heard you crying, and I couldn't just leave you here."

"Why not?" She asked. "Everybody else did."

"Well, I didn't. I don't turn my back on anyone in need," Yuugi shifted the flowers in his arms. "So, what's wrong?"

"What _isn't_ wrong?" She let out another, sudden sob that shook her whole body. "I don't know why he's so mean to me! I really don't! I haven't done a thing to him!"

"Who?"

"This boy in my school," She replied, now getting angry. "He's such a—such an—agh! Words can't describe him! I _hate_ him!"

"Hate is such a strong word."

"But it's the only word I can fit to him! He's always teasing me and talking about how childish and stupid I am--but what does that say about him?!" She squinted up at Yuugi, rubbed her eyes, and reached into her pocket. "Hold on, I can't see anything without these stupid glasses." She pulled a pair of glasses out of her pocket and placed them on her face, blinking and looking back to him.

"Those look really good," He told her. "Why don't you wear them if you need them?"

She huffed.  
"Because I look stupid with them on."

"That's not true."

"Yes it is. Stop trying to make me feel better. It's annoying."

Yuugi held back a laugh as her words reminded him of himself when Yami had tried to boost him up.  
"No, it's not."

She sighed.  
"They look so stupid."

Yuugi bit his lip and scooted closer to her.  
"That may be because you have pigtails."

"What's wrong with that?!" She demanded, fingering her bangs. "I like them...they look good."

"They _are_ cute, but maybe…" Yuugi leaned over and took the hair ties out. Her hair fell down past her shoulders and she ran her hand through it carefully. "See?" He handed her the ties. "It looks great! You look much older."

She blinked at Yuugi, and then a smile finally broke out on her face.  
"Thank you," She held out her hand. "I'm Rebecca."

"Yuugi," He told her, shaking her hand. They both stood up and her smile never left her round face.

"Well, Yuugi," She said. "You've given me something to think about."

"You're welcome," He smiled back. "Don't let what others tell you get you down, Rebecca. What do they know about you anyway?" He pulled a rose out of the bunch and handed it to her. It wasn't such a big deal if he gave away one, right?

Rebecca took the rose, and her face lit up.  
"Thank you, again," She hugged him quickly before she said goodbye, then she quickly ran off.  
If it was possible, Yuugi's good mood had just doubled. He was about ready to skip--really skip--down the sidewalk as he walked home. He always felt really good after helping someone, and he was happy that he had gotten to help Rebecca.

"Hey, bud."

Yuugi stopped walking and look down to see a dirty man sitting by the side of a building.  
"Yeah, hey," the man tilted his head to the side. "Do you have any extra change?"

"I'm sorry," Yuugi knelt down so he was at the man's level. "But I don't. I just spent all the money I had."

"On them there roses, right?" The man wondered. Yuugi nodded and smiled. "I wish I could give someone roses."

"You poor man," Yuugi said softly.

"Poor is right," The man nodded, letting out a barking laugh. Yuugi saw that he was missing his front teeth. "Haven't got a penny to me name. Sad ain't it?" He frowned. "You know, I didn't used to be like this, having to ask for food and money. Me clothes used to be clean with no holes, I used to have all my teeth and hair, and I had a wife...even a kid."

"Really?" Yuugi asked. How could he have lost it all?

"Yeap," The man nodded again. "But then I had one bad night on a trip in Vegas. I woke up in somebody else's house, with a girl laying beside me—naked." He sighed. "I felt so horrible—and not just because of me killer hangover. I loved me wife more than anything, and I felt like such a douche bag. So, when I got home, I didn't try to hide it. I told her every thing, and I thought...I had hoped that maybe she would stay and we would try to work through me stupid mistake."

"But she didn't…" Yuugi said softly.

"No, she didn't." the man agreed. "Packed all her things up and left with the kid. After that, it was all downhill. She got pretty much every thing with the divorce, and I haven't been able to hold down a job since. Now I'm reduced to this, having to scrounge for money and food."

"God…" Yuugi felt like crying. "That's horrible!"

The man laughed.  
"Ain't it?" He looked at Yuugi. "Now, don't go crying over someone like me. Save them there tears for someone more important—like the one you be given them roses to. They must be important."

"Yeah…" Yuugi thought for a minute, and decided that it couldn't be that bad if he gave away just one more flower. He picked one out and handed it to the man. "I hope that one day you get back what you lost."

The man took the flower, and he smiled.  
"Thank you." He said to Yuugi. "You're a good person. The world needs a lot more people like you."

"If only," Yuugi stood up and held his hand out, and the man grasped it. "Good luck," Yuugi told him.

"You, too."

Yuugi let go of his hand and walked away, trying not to dwell on the man's sad story. He held the roses to his chest, trying to keep himself from feeling so sad. He looked back up just in time to dodge a man that was running full speed. His foot was still in the way, though, and the man tripped over it. The man fell forward onto the cement, and Yuugi panicked.

"Oh, my god!" Yuugi quickly knelt by him, and reached out to put his hand on the man's shoulder. "Are you okay?! I am _so_ sorry!"

"Ow…" The man rubbed his heas and looked up at Yuugi with his honey brown eyes, a wide grin was on his face. "I knew it! Hey, Yuugi! I'd know you're voice anywhere! Dat was my fault, man. I wasn payin attention ta where I was goin."

"Are you okay, Jou?!"

Jou blinked and started laughing.  
"I'm fine, Yuugi," he shifted so he was sitting criss cross, ignoring all the people around us. "I was jus tryin ta get ta Honda's house. I called your house, and Yami said you were out--" at the mention of his name, Yuugi's heart skipped a beat--"I got a bit of a problem…" Jou went on.

"Oh, really?" Yuugi asked, also sitting.

"Yeah, ya see…" Jou looked at the ground. "I want ta propose to Mai today, but I don have the money ta get a ring. So I wanted to know if I should wait till I have the money, or just propose without it."

"Really?" Yuugi grinned. "She'll be so happy!" he pulled out a rose and handed it to Jou. "I think you should do it today! Use this if you don't have a ring."

"Buh…" Jou looked like he wanted to accept. "I can't take this…it's yours! Weren't ya goin ta give it ta Yami?"

"I--what?!"

Jou grinned.  
"I may not be da smartest man in the world," He said. "But I'm not stupid."

"Well...Yes, I was," Yuugi replied, turning pink. They both stood up and Yuugi looked at Jou with a serious look. "But you need it more than I do. Besides, I got three more I can give to him." Yuugi shrugged.

Jou nodded and smiled.  
"Thank ya, Yuugi," He punched Yuugi's shoulder lightly. "Ya know, you're a great man."

"I do what I can," Yuugi smiled. "You know that."

Jou gave Yuugi a salute and practically ran off in the other direction he was originally going. Yuugi hoped that Mai accepted his proposal, it would be great to have Mai join the family. He knew she would, though. Mai loved Jou more than anything. Yuugi bit his lip as he started walking again, worried that he had already given some roses away. What if three roses wasn't enough? Would Yami be happy with three, or would he expect more? But they were all for a good cause…

"Excuse me…Yuugi?" A timid voice sounded out from behind him. He stopped walking and looked at the tan man behind him. His lavender eyes looked downcast, like he was ashamed.

"Hi, Marik!" Yuugi smiled, glad to see another friend. "What is it?"

"Well, I saw that you had roses, and I was wondering if I could have one…" The Egyptian looked up and offered a smile smile. "You see, I had been wondering for months what I should get my sister. I want to give her something so she knows how thankful I am to her, but I'm so poor."

"Really?"

"Yeah…after mom died, she was the one who was always there for me. She raised me." He clasped his hands. "To tell you the truth, Yuugi, I don't even think I remember what my mom looked like. Every time I try to picture her, the only face I see is Ishizu's."

"You're lucky," Yuugi told his friend. Without even thinking about it, he pulled out a rose and handed it to him.

Marik smiled wider and he took the rose.  
"_Thank you, thank you, thank you_—"

"You're welcome," Yuugi said, cutting over his long thanks.

"No, really," Marik suddenly hugged him. "Thank you so, _so_ much!" With that, he skipped away, a huge smile still in place.

Yuugi shrugged and smiled, turning around once again. Maybe he should give his grandpa something, too, to show him how thankful he was to him for taking him in after his parents died—not only that, but he had let Yami stay with them after Yami had turned away from the afterlife to stay in the modern world. That would be a very good idea—to give his grandpa something—but Yuugi was sure that his grandfather already knows how grateful he was. He sighed in relief when he saw that he was only a few yards away from his house--good. There was less of a chance that he'd run into people now--

"Oh, hey , Yuugi."

Yuugi looked over to his left to see yet another one of his friends waving at him, and he gave an internal sigh.  
"Hey, Duke!" Yuugi waved back. Duke nodded and walked over to him.

"Have you, uh...seen Anzu?" Duke asked, fingering his black hair, trying to look nonchalant.

"No, why?" Yuugi didn't have to ask that. It was no secret that Duke liked Anzu. Everybody knew—except for maybe Anzu. She was so cheerfully oblivious.

"I wanted…to tell her something."

"I see," Yuugi gave Duke a rose. "Give her this when you do."

Duke took the rose and shook his head, amazed.  
"How did you know?"

"Well, for one, everybody knows that you like her, and for another, it's Valentines day." Yuugi gave Duke the Eye Roll of Duh.

"Okay, Mr. Smarty Pants," Duke said, grinning. "I'll be off then. I don't want to wait till someone else asks her out, you know."

"Yeah," Yuugi nodded. "Good idea."

"Good luck giving that rose to Yami!" Duke said, getting even.

"You know, too?!"

"Ha!" Duke winked. "Everybody can tell.

"I guess I deserve that..." Yuugi grinned. Duke waved and walked away.

Yuugi waved and turned around, looking at his house. Suddenly, Dukes words caught up with him, and he almost dropped the rose in his hand. He only had one more rose! He had given all the roses for Yami to other people! Yuugi felt like hitting his head on something hard—preferably something made of brick. How could he be so stupid?! He felt like crying again. He had saved up, and then he had just given all the roses away without a second thought! Yami was going to be so disappointed! How could he had done such a thing?! Yuugi held the one rose in his hand and was tempted to just give it away, too, but it was too late, he was home now.

Feeling stupid, depressed, and dejected, Yuugi walked up the stone steps slowly and opened the door.

"I'm home," He said in a quiet voice. He looked into the living room and saw the very person he didn't want to see sitting on the couch, reading. Yami looked up and closed his book, a smile forming at the corners of his mouth when he saw Yuugi.

"Welcome home," He said, his smile fully in place now. Yuugi's heart gave an unsteady thump. The joy and dread of seeing Yami was really messing up his mind.

"Hey," Yuugi tried to smile, but he didn't move. He could only stand there as he tried to figure out what he should do next. Should he run, or act like nothing was wrong when there clearly was? No...Yami would see through an act like that in a second.

"Yuugi?" Yami placed his book on the coffee table and stood up. He walked over to Yuugi, concerned. "What's wrong?"

Yuugi suddenly let out a gasp that was pretty much a sob, and he held out the rose with both hands, but kept his face down.  
"I got you this," he said quietly, pitifully. He couldn't imagine what Yami's face looked like. "I had six of them, but I gave them all away! There was Rebecca, and then this poor homeless man, and then I ran into Jou, then Marik needed one, and then Duke, and…and…and…" Yuugi shook his head and his tears finally fell over the edge of his eyes. "I am so sorry, Yami! I just wanted you to know how much I love you! I got all these roses, and I was stupid enough to just give them away! I'm so, so sorry! I'm such a dumbass! I can't believe I even did all that! Yami I really did want to give you all of them, but everyone else needed them and I just gave them away! I understand if you're mad, but I just want you to know how incredibly sorry I—"

Yuugi was suddenly cut off as he felt Yami's warm arms grab him and pull him into a tight hug. Yami buried his face into Yuugi's hair, and Yuugi hid his face into the crook of Yami's neck, clinging to him as he still blubbered out incoherent words of apology. He could've sworn he felt Yami take in a deep breath--like Yami was savoring the smell of his hair.

Then, all too soon, it was over.  
Yami had pulled away, and Yuugi was surprised to see that Yami's face wasn't upset or angry at all. Instead, it held something quite different.

"Aren't you mad at me?" Yuugi asked, confused. His voice sounded small.

"Should I be?" Yami asked, raising a perfect black eyebrow. He took the rose from Yuugi and carefully placed it on the end table and kept his eyes on it. "Is it so wrong to only get one?" He turned back to Yuugi with a sad look.

"I just thought…" Yuugi struggled for the right words. "I just thought that you would be unhappy to not get all six…"

"Yuugi," Yami placed hands on his hips. "Do you really think I'm that shallow?"

"No!" Yuugi took a step forward, and reached out a hand to him. "No, Yami! That's not what I meant! Not at all!"

Yami smiled and let his hands fall from his hips. He walked over to Yuugi.  
"I know," Yami reached out to Yuugi's face, wiping away the wetness. "Stop crying. There's nothing to be sad about."

"Yeah, you're right," Yuugi smiled and laughed at his stupidity. Of course Yami would be happy with one.

"Besides," Yami said. "It was very kind of you to give the roses away. I'm sure they needed them more than I."

"I'm just too nice," I muttered, sighing. "I couldn't just leave all of them without something…I'm just a pushover, I guess."

"Silly, Yuugi," Yami's hands were both on Yuugi's face now, and hw started walking Yuugi backwards.

"Yami?" Yuugi blinked. "What--" Suddenly, Yuugi's back hit the wall, and he blinked up at Yami again, confused, as Yami pressed him against it with his body.

"Y-Yami--?"

"I have to say," Yami said slightly stiffly. "I am sort of frustrated that you said it before me."

"Said...it..." Yuugi's mouth fell open.

"Don't you know," Yami continued, stroking Yuugi's cheeks softly with his thumbs. "That you're kindness is one of the reasons I love you?"

"That you…what?" Yuugi felt a bit light headed, and he wasn't sure he had heard Yami right. He wasn't sure if all this was a dream or not.

"How do I say this in simpler terms while you're in your confused state?" Yami was quiet for a minute, and then he leaned down so he could run his nose up and down Yuugi's neck. "Yuugi, I love you." He went all the way back up and stopped when his lips were an inch from Yuugi's. His startling ruby eyes looked deep into Yuugi's amethyst. If Yami hadn't been holding him up, Yuugi was sure he'd fall from the weight of Yami's stare. Yuugi could feel Yami's breath on his lips, and his mind started to slip away, replaced by a sudden urge of a heated want.

"Do you love me?" Yami breathed, his eyes still searching Yuugi's. Yuugi couldn't help but slightly gasp, and he turned a dark, dark shade of red.

"Yes," He breathed back, his eyes already starting to close.

"That's all I need to hear," Yami said before he closed the tiny gap, and Yuugi got to experience to feel of Yami's soft, warm lips for the first time of many times to come.


End file.
